The right to request flexible working became a day one right on 6 April. Other changes mean that an employee no longer has to explain what effect they think their requested arrangement will have and how this should be dealt with. They can also make two requests in any 12-month period, and an employer has two months to come to a decision on a request and can't refuse it unless the employee has been consulted with.
Meanwhile there's been news of the success of the UK's four-day week trial in 2022, with a report published by the think tank Autonomy which found that 89% of those trialling the arrangement have taken the decision to continue with it, and that 58% of the public expects the four-day week to be the standard way of working by 2030. The launch of "4August", a new initiative encouraging employers to do a mini-trial of the four-day week in August, suggests that maybe they're not so far off the mark!
Finally, with Labour promising that flexible working will become a day one right if it wins the General Election, this is certainly something that will continue to be high on employers' agendas.
Being flexible and agile has never been more important for employers and technology has transformed the way that many of us work making flexible working arrangements much easier to operate. We have a flexible working toolkit which can help you implement flexible working in your organisation and get the most out of the arrangements you already have in place.
Our toolkit includes the following services, all of which can be offered for fixed fees. Please contact us to discuss in more detail how we can support you.
Advice on implementing flexible working
There are various things to take into consideration when it comes to implementing flexible working. We can advise you on matters such as:
- Changing contracts to reflect new working conditions;
- Health and safety obligations;
- Tax and insurance matters;
- Data protection and confidentiality issues; and
- Arrangements for effective employee supervision.
Template documents
It's a great idea to have the right documentation in place to ensure that your flexible working arrangements go smoothly. We can provide you with a template flexible working policy and a flexible working checklist, or review your existing template documents.
Skillsboosters on flexible working
We can deliver, virtually or in person, interactive skillsbooster training to your managers on implementing flexible working. We find this gives confidence and guidance to those dealing with flexible working arrangements, whether they are new to it or wanting a refresh. We cover:
- Dealing with flexible working requests;
- How to implement new working arrangements effectively;
- Managing employees with flexible working patterns; and
- Our tips for what to do, and what not to do, and how to keep the arrangements working well for everyone.
We also offer additional skillsbooster sessions on connected processes such as changing terms and conditions, employee wellbeing, managing mental health, managing disciplinaries, managing grievances and managing difficult conversations.
Dealing with employees working from overseas
Some employees may want to set up flexible working arrangements where they base themselves overseas for some, if not all, of the time. This type of arrangement will require slightly different considerations as local employment laws and taxes may come into play. Please get in touch if we can help.
